Nancy's Award Winning Guacamole

Okay, okay, so my award was just a water gun. Let me explain. My friend Becca had a birthday party that once doubled as a guac-off, which meant that whoever wanted to participate brought a guacamole to the party to compete in a contest to see which one was best. Mine won. And I would have been bummed if it hadn't. I won't lie. It's damn good.





Guacamole:

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
1/4 red onion
1 large tomato
1/4-1/2 small jalapeno or habanero pepper
splash olive oil
juice of one lime
handful chopped cilantro
sea or crystal salt (to taste)

Dice onion, tomato, pepper, and cilantro. Chop avocados in half and remove pits by inserting sharp knife and then pulling out. (This technique is good because it usually removes the pit clean without wasting any avocado) Set aside pits. Remove the avocado meat with a spoon and place in a bowl. Add a splash of olive oil and mash with a fork for just a few strokes. Add onion, tomato, pepper, and cilantro to bowl. Squeeze half of lime juice, add a pinch of salt and mix with fork until just mixed. Try a bit to see if you want to use the rest of the juice (I usually do) and need more salt. Keep mixing but be sure not to over-mix, as you don't want whipped avocado. If you aren't going to serve it immediately, put the two pits back into the guacamole and refrigerate. When the pits are in, the avocado thinks it's back in its shell and doesn't turn brown.

Peaut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I, more or less, stole this recipe from Recipezaar and tweaked a few things. Like the person wrote there, "These are so delicious. I can't even explain. You just have to try them." It's true. They are delicious, and you should just try them.








Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes: around 30 cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 cup plus 2 tbspns crunchy or creamy all natural peanut butter
4 tbspns canola oil
1 and 3/4 cups raw sugar
2/3 cup soy milk
2 tspns pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose or spelt flour (or mix of both)
1 tspn baking soda
1 tspn sea or crystal salt
2 cups oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped dark milk-free chocolate bar

Preheat oven to 375.
In a large bowl, stir together first five ingredients until thoroughly mixed.
In a small bowl, sift together flour, soda, and salt.
Stir into batter and then mix in oats and chocolate chips. Don't be afraid to use your hands!
On a lightly greased cookie tray, drop batter in small spoon fulls.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes on tray, then transfer to a serving plate.

Note: The cookies may seem soft and undercooked, but if you have a trusty oven, rest assured that they are done. After they set for 5 minutes on the tray they should be perfect.

Deliciously Creamy Curry with a vegetable medley and breaded tofu

Made with a small amount of soy yogurt and a tomato base, this curry is perfectly creamy, spicy, and filling. The breaded tofu adds a nice touch. Try experimenting with different vegetables and working with what's in your kitchen at the time. If you get the base right, you can throw in all sorts of stuff. Serve with a side of rice.







Deliciously Creamy Curry

Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes
2 medium carrots
1 package of firm tofu
flour
1/2 head of cauliflower
3 garlic cloves
1/2 white onion
1 red pepper
fresh corn from 1 cob
small knob of ginger
2 large tomatoes
3 tbspns curry powder
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt or soy milk*
1 cup water
2 tspns sea or crystal salt
pepper to taste
handful of chopped cilantro
olive oil

*if using soy milk you should reduce the amount of water to 3/4 cup


1. Start by filling a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. While the water is boiling, chop potatoes, carrots, and caulflower into small chunks. Add to water.

2. While these vegetables are softening, drain tofu and cut into small triangles. Salt and pepper tofu slices. Add a little bit of flour to a plate and bread your tofu by patting it into the flour on each side. While you're doing this, heat a medium size pan with a tiny bit of olive oil and once your tofu is breaded throw in pan. Slightly brown both sides, turn off heat, and set aside.

3. Now start to dice garlic cloves, ginger, onion, red pepper, and tomatoes. In a large pot, add just enough olive oil to cover the pan and heat on high. Once everything is chopped, add to the pot and fry until fragrance is released and tomatoes start to become soft. Then add 3 tbspns of curry to the pot, a pinch of pepper, and 2 tspns of salt. I used 2 tbspns of spicy curry and 1 tbspn of bangalore mild curry. Use curry of preference.

4. Mix at the bottom of pan for a few more minutes to ensure that curry is properly mixed in. Then add water, yogurt, corn, and tofu. Stir and bring to low heat.

5. Drain the water from the potatoes, carrots, and cauliflowers and add to the mix. Let simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt to taste. Add chopped cilantro or garnish each plate with it later.

My Morning Smoothie

One time I froze some bananas at night and went to bed dreaming of the smoothie I would make with them in the morning. My husband was simultaneously dreaming of the leftover veggie curry that he would eat the next day on the bus ride to his soccer game. Somehow, he mixed up the containers and ended up bringing the bananas. You can imagine how bummed we both were when he opened his lunchbox only to find half melted bananas and I had to substitute ice cubes for frozen bananas. I think I got the better deal. At least I got to eat the leftover curry for lunch.








Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Espresso Smoothie Woah!

Serves: 1
Equipment: Blender

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana, chopped
1 tbspn of raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
1 tbspn of natural peanut butter
1 shot of espresso
pinch of ground flaxseed (optional)
2 tspns of maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown sugar
1/2 cup soy, rice, or nut milk

You can do some pretty amazing things with frozen bananas. I use them a lot in the morning to make this smoothie, or a variation of it. It is rich and filling, but not a heavy breakfast. The espresso is an extra pick-me-up, but the raw cacao usually does the job. If you want to omit the espresso, just add a bit more soymilk. Blend all ingredients. Drink up.

Zucchini Alfredo Pasta with green olives, tomatoes, and basil (raw)

Not only did I get a new blender for my birthday, but I also got 2 big bags of nutritional yeast. What more could a vegan chef ask for? This recipe includes nutritional yeast, but if you can't get your hands on it, it is still very tasty without it. It just adds a bit of cheesy flavor, not to mention tons of B Vitamins. This recipe is great if you're craving something creamy because it really "hits the spot," as my mom would say, without being too heavy.



ZUCCHINI ALFREDO PASTA:

Serves: 2
Equipment:

Blender
Cheese Grater or Pasta Spiroli slicer


Ingredients:

2 small zucchinis
handful of baby tomatoes, diced
5 or 6 green olives, diced
3 or 4 sun-dried tomatoes,diced
handful of basil, chopped

For the sauce:
1 cup raw pine nuts
1 tbspn orange juice (or lemon)
1 tbspn nutritional yeast
4-5 tablespoons water
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
italian spices to taste

Grate zucchini into long strips like noodles. Toss with salt, pepper, and any italian spices you like. Set Aside. In a blender combine pine nuts, orange or lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, spices and water until smooth. Add water slowly to get desired consistency (you may want to add more orange or lemon juice as well.) Toss zucchini noodles in the sauce. Add chopped green olives, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. Experiment with other herbs too such as parsley or oregano.

Zucchini- Cashew Hummus (raw)

I got a magic bullet blender for my birthday. Or, I should say I got an "Amazing Bullet." It's the knockoff version, but my boyfriend and I have a theory that the same people who make the magic bullet make the amazing bullet and just the suckers buy the magic one for a higher price. ;) Nonetheless, it is amazing! And this is one of the things I have recently made with it. A delicious raw hummus. Perfect for spreading on sliced vegetables and wrapping them in big romaine lettuce leaves.


ZUCCHINI CASHEW HUMMUS

Equipment:

Blender

Ingredients:

1 cup of soaked raw cashews
1 cup of chopped and peeled zucchini (about 1 small zucchini)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
1/8 cup tahini
sea salt
1/2 cup water

In a blender or food processor blend all ingredients until smooth, adding water very slowly to get desired consistency. You could always substitute more zucchini for cashews if you don't have them, or vice versa. Make sure to peel all of the green skin off of the zucchini otherwise you will get a funky colored hummus. I added garnished with olive oil, crushed red pepper, and chopped zucchini.

Spelt Oat Bread

This bread is SO good right out of the oven it's hard for my boyfriend and I not to finish the loaf before it cools off! It's the perfect bread for anyone with a wheat allergy and it's also very fast to make (20 minutes top) because there's no yeast so you don't have to wait for it to rise. For a sweet variation, add vegan margarine and some brown sugar and cinnamon on top.












Spelt Oat Bread

Equipment: Blender and Loaf Pan

Ingredients:

1 cup oats
1 cup spelt flour*
2 tspns baking powder
1/2 tspn sea or crystal salt
1 1/2 tbspns maple syrup or honey
1 tbspn canola oil
1 cup non-dairy milk of choice

Preheat oven to 450. Grind oatmeal in blender until you have a powder. In a large bowl combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl dissolve maple syrup or honey into oil and then stir in milk. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until you have a dough, but try not to overmix. Either form dough into a ball or place in lightly oiled bread loaf pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until hollow when tapped.

If you don't have an allergy to wheat and can't find spelt flour, you could use whole wheat instead. If you use regular flour it will be a bit too runny so add a few more tablespoons than called for.

Asian Veggie Noodle Summer Salad with peanut sauce and chili-lime cashews (almost raw)

I made up this recipe yesterday for my boyfriend and I. We sat outside in the sun and ate it and it was a perfect, light, and refreshing lunch for summertime. It's a great mix of sweet and spicy.









Asian Veggie Noodle Summer Salad:

Serves: 2 as an entree or 4 as an appetizer

Equipment: Cheese Grater or Spiroli pasta maker and Blender

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 tbspns of soy sauce
1 tbspn of natural peanut butter
1 tbspn of maple syrup, agave nectar, or raw cane sugar
1/2 clove garlic
small knob of ginger
pinch of crushed red pepper or thai curry
1 and 1/2 tbspns of water

2 medium carrots
1 small or 1/2 large cucumber
1 small or 1/2 large red bell pepper
1 small tomato
handful of cilantro

handful of raw cashews or peanuts *optional
1 lime* optional
chili powder *optional

1 orange *optional


If you choose to have the nuts in the salad, chop them into smaller pieces, place in a bowl and squeeze the lime juice over them. Spice them with chili powder or your favorite peppery spice and toss. Set aside.

For the peanut sauce: Blend soy sauce, peanut butter, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and water. Blend until smooth and taste, adjusting sweetness if necessary. For a truly raw version of this, substitute the peanut butter for raw almond butter and the soy sauce for namu shoya.

For the salad: Using the largest holes on the cheese grater, or your spiroli, shred carrots and cucumbers into a large bowl. Since the red pepper is too tough to shred, cut it manually into thin long pieces. Pour the peanut sauce over the veggies and toss. Chop the cilantro and tomato into small pieces and mix in salad along with cashews or peanuts. Garnish with orange slices.

By the way, this peanut sauce has an endless uses. You could use it as a dressing for green salads, over vegetable stir fry and grilled tofu, or as a dipping sauce to lettuce wraps.

Falafel (raw)

This isn't my recipe, but it came out so good I have to share it. You don't need a dehydrator, and they really do taste like falafel!










Raw Falafel Balls

Serves: 3-4 people (makes about 12-14 balls)

Equipment: Food processor or Blender

Ingredients:

2 cups of sunflower seeds
1 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
few pieces of white onion
2 tablespoons of tahini
squeeze of lemon
1 to 2 cloves or garlic, chopped
pinch of sea or crystal salt

Grind sunflower seeds in blender or food processor until you have a powder. In a large bowl, mix the powder and the rest of the ingredients. Combine until you have a dry dough. If it is too dry, you can add more lemon juice or some olive oil. When you have desired consistency, form into balls. Wrap in lettuce leaves, or serve over tabouli, cauliflower couscous, with peppers, chopped tomatoes, hummus, etc. Pictured is falafel, salad, zucchini hummus, and cauliflower couscous.

Chocolate Pudding Pie (raw)

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Serves: 4
Equipment: Blender, Pie Pan

Ingredients:

Handful of Walnuts
Handful of Almonds
Few Tablespoons of ground Flaxseeds
5-6 Dates
2 Bananas
2 small Avocados or 1 large
2-3 tablespoons of Maple Syrup, Agave Nectar, or Raw Honey
2 tablespoons of Cocoa Powder OR Raw Cacao Powder OR Raw Carob Powder
pinch of sea or crystal salt
pinch of cinnamon (optional)

In a Blender or Food Processor, blend nuts and dates until you have crumbs that you can form into a dough. You can use more dates if you prefer it sweeter and stickier. Press dough into pie pan and chill for one to two hours, or stick in freezer for half an hour if you're in a hurry.

For the filling: place bananas, avocados, sweetener, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon and blend until smooth. Taste as you go, adding more sweetener and more cocoa powder if you want it richer. When the pie crust is chilled, pour pudding over crust and chill for at least another hour. This pie is really good when it's a bit cold. Garnish with slices of bananas or shredded coconuts.